In the news...

Headlines July 10, 2013

News

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said July 10 that if faced with $52 billion in automatic cuts next year, the Pentagon would do its best to “seek management efficiencies and controls on compensation growth before making cuts to force structure, modernization and readiness.”

The Pentagon is eyeing plans to eliminate danger pay for service members in as many as 18 countries and five waterways around the world, saving about $120 million each year while taking a bite out of troops’ salaries, The Associated Press has learned.

Business

Alcoa Inc., the largest U.S. aluminum producer, reported earnings that beat analysts’ estimates following a better-than-expected performance at its unit that supplies components to aerospace and power companies.

OC Oerlikon Corp. and Sulzer AG, which both have Victor Vekselberg as their largest shareholder, are making independent forays into metal coatings for airplane parts, the head of Oerlikon’s coating business said.

For U.S. Army SSergeant Shawn Manning, Nov. 5, 2009, was a routine day at Fort Hood, Texas, waiting for a health checkup before his scheduled deployment to Afghanistan. Suddenly, he heard someone yell “Allahu akbar” – Arabic for God is Great – before the first of six bullets slammed into his chest, piercing his right lung and liver.

A descendant of Col. Charles Beckwith, who in 1977 founded the Army’s Delta Force that today hunts and kills Islamic terrorists, passed the test in May to become a member of the elite special operations forces.

Veterans

California is moving to help the federal government cut the backlog of veterans’ disability claims with a new law creating a 36-member state strike force to help the Veterans Affairs Department process claims.

The job market for veterans “is brighter than it has been,” but the government still needs to concentrate on improving basic job-hunting knowledge and translating military-learned skills into civilian jobs, the vice chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee said July 10.

As Christmas 2011 approached, U.S. Army medic Shawn Aiken was once gain locked in desperate battle with a formidable foe. Not insurgents in Iraq, or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan – enemies he had already encountered with distinguished bravery.

China’s military has the world’s “most active and diverse ballistic missile program,” with an expanding inventory of nuclear warheads that can reach the U.S., according to a Pentagon intelligence report.

Local military discounts

News: Carter: Military leaders could arm more troops at home – Following the recent fatal shooting of four Marines and a sailor in Tennessee, Defense Secretary Ash Carter is ordering the military services to consider new policies that would enhance security for troops at home, including potentially arming more personnel. Business: DOD weighs supplier base,...

U.S. delivering eight newer F-16 warplanes to Egypt The United States Embassy in Cairo says the U.S. is delivering eight newer F-16 warplanes to Egypt as part of an ongoing military support package. It says in a July 30 statement that the aircraft, of the current Block 52 production variant, will be flown in from...

Lockheed Martin photograph A protective panel for Orion’s service module is jettisoned during testing at Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale, California facility. This test series evaluated design changes to the spacecraft’s fair...

Northrop Grumman has awarded the first Australian supplier contract for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system initial production lot to Ferra Engineering. Brisbane-based Ferra Engineering will manufacture mechanical sub-assemblies for the first four Triton air vehicles including structural components. “At Northrop Grumman it’s very important to not only develop...

Boeing photograph The CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter commonly known as the “Phrog,” is set to retire and to be flown one last time by Reserve Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 774 on Aug. 1. The CH-46 Sea Knight is a med...

Under the terms of its latest contract, Insitu will build six RQ-21A Blackjack systems for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The $78-million Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Lot IV Low Rate Initial Production contract is the latest event in the program’s progression toward the Initial Operational Test and Evaluation phase. “This award will...

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